Newbie; just diagnosed last week...

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

Holly & Dagda

Member Since 2012
Hi everyone, my name is Holly and Dagda is my 10 year old Siamese/tabby mix. All her life she's been a big kitty. She used to weigh around 17, now with the diabetes she is down to 15 pounds. She was diagnosed with diabetes a week ago, she also has a UTI. She is being prescribed Lantus 1.5 units 2x a day. For the UTI she was given amoxicillin(cat version) x2 a day. I bought a meter to test her bg at home and I've tested her two times in the middle of the day with her bg being 177. She is being fed dry food right now (Royal Canin feline Diabetes DS Veterinary) until I can switch her ( right now wet food gives her horrible diarrhea and she vomits everywhere). She is keeping the dry food down great and her stool is not looking as runny anymore. I give her food at 7 every morning and at night. She eats small amounts (not all at once). Then when she has eaten at least 1/2 a 1/2 cup I give her her insulin shot. Then after, she just continues to eat small amounts of food throughout the day. Is it safe to give her insulin when she is eating like this and with her bg being the way it is? I'm supposed to bring her back to the vet in about a week so they can keep her for a day and test her bg. I just want to make sure this sounds ok and if there's anything else I should be doing. She seems very lazy, but then again she always has been.

Any advice would be great, I have studied all I can on feline diabetes. I just would like to know what more experienced people thought about her, I don't think my vet is too knowledgeable....

Thank you!!!
 
Hi guys and welcome to the board! I'm glad to hear you are home testing .. with readings in the 100's this early on, it sounds promising! If you could make the switch over to wet cat food, I bet her numbers would come down even more .. especially once the UTI is cleared out of her system ..

When we started mocha on lantus, we started her at a lower dose, I believe maybe a 1/2 unit, or 1 unit .. the motto is "start low, go slow" That way you don't skip over what could be a very important dosing amount for your kitty ..

Eating small meals throughout the day is a very good idea .. the dry food you are feeding her right now is very high in carbs .. I want to say most of us here feed wet cat food, preferably around 5% or lower .. But yes, small meals throughout the day are better then one or two huge meals ..

If you do home testing, there really is no need for you to take your kitty to the vets, for an all day "curve" That is what home testing will tell you .. plus, your cat will be at home where she is probably way less stressed then she would be at the vets .. some cats can sky rocket up over 100 points alone just by being at the vets ..

Anyways, I am sure others will be along soon with much more helpful information then I have shared, but just wanted to welcome you here!
 
Whenever you switch foods, it works best to do so gradually to avoid upset stomachs. If the cat is particularly sensitive, you may need to take it over more than 3-4 days. You might do 1 - 3 days at each level, depending on how the cat is doing.

25% wet : 75% dry (by calorie counts!!!)
50% wet : 50% dry
75% wet : 25% dry
 
Thanks for the help guys! Nice to meet you. :) Dont I have to take her to the vet to continue getting insulin prescriptions? I also tested her yesterday before dinner she read 196. So I gave her 1 unit. Then this morning she's reading 168. Should I still give her a unit of insulin after she's done eating? I don't want to give her too much.

I'll also be switching her to wet food once she calms down a bit from all these new changes.

Thanks again
 
In some countries (e.g., Canada) you don't need a prescription for Lantus. In the US, you do. You'll have to get your vet to renew your prescription.

One thing to keep in mind with food. Many cats have food sensitivities or allergies. They can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Beef and fish flavors are among the biggest culprits. Likewise, some cats are sensitive to gluten. Depending on what wet food you're using, that could be an issue although I suspect there is grain in the Royal Canin that you're feeding.

There is a website devoted to feline nutrition that is authored by a vet, Lisa Pierson. You may find the information there, especially the section on transitioning a cat to canned food, helpful.
 
May I ask what meter you are using?

We have found that meters with the word "Tru" (generic versions of brand names) in the name doesn't actually read true- sometimes 100 pts less and the Freestyle Lite meter that has the butterfly on the strips doesn't read over 299 for cats, lulling owners to think their cat is better off that they really are.

And also, the spreadsheet- this helps us keep track of your kitty without you having to tell us- this link shows you how to set it up and put in your signature line

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

It is great that you drew blood the first time you did it! That early success makes it easier to follow up on and sets the tone.
 
Thanks for the help everyone! I can't begin to tell you how helpful this place is and how relieved I am to know I can come here whenever I need help with my baby...

I do unfortunately have a TRU meter. I am thinking about getting the Relion from walmart, will that one be much better?

I've never seen her numbers go higher than 200 so I'm hoping that it's not just the meter giving me inaccurate results. She seems to be responding well to the insulin ( it's been a week) although her stool is still runny and she gets it everywhere! Is there anything I can do about that? I dont know if it's her food or a reaction to insulin or amoxicillin.

I wish I could keep a spreadsheet, unfortunately im stuck on my mobile doing all this. Google docs will let you view docs on your phone but not edit them. I'll have to keep a notebook or something with her numbers.

Thanks again everyone. It's nice to meet you!
 
Yes, the Relion is a much better meter- I had a TrueRead and it didn't read true at all :evil: it would read high numbers (once I finally got started GETTING some numbers- takes a LOT more blood than the micro).

I switched to the Relion micro and love it. Strips are cheaper, you can get them at Wal-mart- 100/$36 and if you don't mind buying on-line you can use the shop link above, go to ADW from that page and get the same strips 250/$72- buy 4 boxes get 1 free to get them a lot cheaper that way. Same strips. I still get my syringes at Wal-mart because I can't find them cheaper than 100/$13 on line.

Just keep up with the numbers in the little log book- write down the date to one side and the times and levels to keep it all straight for you and then a few times a week go to the public library and get on-line that way to update. I have a computer at home AND at work and somehow only manage to input her numbers every few days or so :lol: .
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top